Questions grow over Baltimore mayor’s aide, city vehicle use

City Hall still has not said whether Mayor Brandon Scott’s senior adviser Marvin James remains in his post, what duties he is performing, or whether any discipline has been imposed after questions surfaced about his use of a city-issued vehicle.

The silence followed a FOX45 investigation that said James was rarely seen at City Hall over a three-week period but was observed at other places, including a Washington, D.C. campaign office, restaurants and a salon. A June 29 follow-up said the administration still had not answered basic questions about James’s employment status, responsibilities or any internal review tied to the allegations.

The stakes are high because James is not a low-level aide. City salary records show Baltimore tracks employee pay across fiscal years 2011 through 2025, and James’s annual compensation is about $198,000, placing him in a public payroll system that residents can compare against other city employees. The issue is also larger than one staffer: it goes to how City Hall supervises senior aides, controls taxpayer-funded property and responds when conduct questions emerge.

Baltimore’s Administrative Manual lays out formal rules for city-owned vehicles, including purchase, assignment, control, operation and maintenance. It also says a city employee without a valid City of Baltimore Driver Permit may not operate any city-owned vehicle, and that a permit can be suspended or revoked by the Department of Finance, the Department of General Services or an employee’s agency head when circumstances warrant it. The city’s own rules make clear that vehicle use is not informal or discretionary.

Scott’s office announced on May 4, 2023, that James would serve as interim chief of staff. At that time, the mayor’s office identified him as a senior adviser and said he had been in the administration since Scott took office in December 2020. Public records and later reporting also show James remained inside the mayor’s inner circle, including a March 28, 2025 farewell luncheon at City Hall when he shifted roles rather than leaving government.

City Council President Zeke Cohen has said the administration should finish its review before conclusions are drawn, while also suggesting the public needs a clearer understanding of what the special adviser role is. Baltimore’s Office of the Inspector General publicly posts synopses, press releases and other reports, part of a city oversight structure that raises the expectation for timely documentation when questions involve public money, employee conduct and the use of city property.